Director of Curriculum

The state of Pennsylvania measures student achievement and calculates student growth through the use of standardized assessments. The PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) and the Keystone exams are given each spring, beginning with third grade. The following areas are assessed:

On December 6, 2017, Governor Tom Wolf announced that the PSSA would undergo significant changes resulting in the condensing of the assessments from a three week testing period to a two week testing period. The assessments will also be given two weeks later than in previous years to allow for additional student learning prior to the testing period. Two sections have been removed, one in Math and one in English Language Arts and the overall number of questions on the Science PSSA has been reduced. The decision to alter the state assessment was in response to concerns from constituents who felt that too much time was being spent on standardized testing. The new testing window will be utilized in the 2018-2019 school year.